John McCain gets ridiculed for saying he doesn't know much about the economy. To be honest, I think both candidates are Palin-esque when it comes to that issue, in that they speak in generalities or cliches. On foreign affairs, they display a grasp of nuance. They sound like they could hold their own in an academic seminar! But, on the economy, all you hear from them are cliches. "The rich need to pay their fair share!" "We're in this mess because of deregulation!" "Tax cuts stimulate economic growth!" "You can't ship jobs overseas!" "Protectionism doesn't work! Hoover did that, and look what happened."
When I read economic books, I usually don't understand what I'm reading. I practically need a dictionary to come close! But I don't need one when I'm listening to John McCain and Barack Obama. They say things I could come up with!